1. Field of the Invention
Various embodiments of the present invention described herein generally relate to repositioning apparatuses and methods for a support device, such as a child support for a children's swing.
2. Description of Related Art
Children's swings typically include a child support, such as a child seat or fabric support, suspended by one or more swings arms and configured to reciprocate along a swing path. In certain swings, the child support is configured to be adjusted between a first orientation, in which a child positioned in the child support faces the direction of the swing, and a second orientation, in which a child positioned in the child support faces a direction perpendicular to the swing path.
Current art suggests that it is desirable to configure such swings to maintain the position of the child support's center of gravity in the same position relative to the swing's structure in both the forward-facing and side-facing positions. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0020854 describes an infant swing having a pair of hanger arms supporting a children's seat that is adjustable between a back-and-forth configuration and a sideways configuration. The seat is connected to a swivel mechanism having an elliptical retainer that causes the children's seat to shift laterally as the seat is repositioned between the back-and-forth and sideways configurations. This lateral shift is intended to maintain the seat's center of gravity in a single desired location proximate to the swing's center line.
However, certain children's swings include a child support suspended by at least one swing arm that applies a moment transverse to its swing path at its point of rotation. In such swings, the moment applied by the swing arm increases the energy required to drive the swing arm along its swing path and imparts stresses on the swing structure that increase the resiliency required of materials used to construct the swing. Accordingly, as a child support is adjusted between various orientations, it would be advantageous to reduce the moment applied by one or more swing arms while also maintaining the lateral balance of the child support.
However, the repositioning mechanisms disclosed in current art—such as U.S. Publication 2008/0020854—are not configured for repositioning a child support in a manner that reduces the moment applied by a swing arm suspending the child support. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a child support repositioning mechanism configured to maintain the lateral balance of a swing's child support as it is adjusted between various orientations while also reducing the moment applied by one or more swing arms. In addition, there is a need for such a mechanism to be compact and adapted to fit within a small space.